Chapter 35
Anathea let out a muffled sound of protest. How had things come to this? Gregory’s fist knotted in her hair at the back of her head, holding her still as his free hand roved lower down her body.
Her eyes widened, and she immediately shoved him away as she cried, “No!”
They shouldn’t do something so intimate when they were on the verge of a divorce!
“No?”
Gregory repeated incredulously, scoffing, “Just two weeks ago, you were clinging to me and getting so riled up that you couldn’t help moaning my name. And now you’re pulling this pure–and–chaste act?”
Anathea winced under his sharp, contemptuous gaze. She was surprised that he would say such insulting, filthy things to her.
“As long as you’re my lawful wife, Anathea, you will not mingle with other men behind my back without my permission! I will not tolerate you getting up to any funny business!” Gregory seethed.
Shock barreled through her when she heard his warning. She sensed a stronger emotion that underlined his rage–the polar
opposite of the usual indifference with which he treated her.
While Anathea was too stunned to respond, Gregory took things one step further. His sudden brutish maneuver had her sliding down to the floor, and it was only when she braced her whole weight against the door that she managed not to crumple.
Her breathing grew uneven and shallow as she stared at the storm brewing in Gregory’s eyes. But she willed herself to stay calm
and tried to reason with him.
“Gregory, I’m my own person, not an object that belongs to you. I have every right to decide what to do with my life-”
Gregory sputtered at the somber expression she pulled despite her disadvantageous circumstances.
He retorted icily, “What rights do you have? Adam practically delivered you to my bed as collateral for his crimes. What standing
do you have to discuss your rights with me when your sole purpose is to please me and let me do whatever I want with you?”
He spoke domineeringly and without warmth, leaving no room for negotiation. Hatred flashed in his eyes, and Anathea couldn’t tell if it was directed at her or Adam. Either way, he was lashing out at her.
A chill chased down her spine, and she smacked Gregory’s chest to force him to let her go. He ignored her, his gaze darkening as he pinned her legs against the wall with his knee and tugged on her skirt.
Anathea stiffened at the sound of satin being ripped. Her eyes pricked with tears as Gregory continued roughly, but she didn’t cry like before. Fresh resolve burned in her eyes, and in a feral move, she bit him.
A hiss escaped Gregory as he instinctively let Anathea go. He ran his thumb over his lip, and it came away red. He growled,
“Anathea!”
How dare she bite him?
1/2
+15 Bonus
Blood stained Anathea’s lips as well, and her misty eyes made her look vulnerable yet beautiful. However, she only looked at Gregory with wariness.
All the lust within Gregory vanished at that moment. He fixed Anathea with a grave look. If looks could kill, she would have been shredded and burned by now.
Anathea gulped when she felt the air crackle with tension, but her pride had her staring him down. She knew if she looked away now and turned her back, she would lose what little dignity she had left.
Her pride and stubbornness irked Gregory, but another strange emotion seized him, only to disappear just as quickly. He hissed coldly, “I’ll teach you a lesson for pushing my buttons, Anathea.”
With that, he gripped Anathea’s wrist and pulled her away from the door, then opened it and left the room.
The door slammed shut, and it wasn’t until his footsteps faded into the distance that relief flooded Anathea. Like a puppet without its strings, she slumped to the floor.
The silvery moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains and cast an ethereal glow on Anathea’s skin. There was no breeze tonight, but her heart had grown so cold that she felt like she’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
